The KEY to Elevating Your Application: The Rule of One Million

As we all know well, standing out from the thousands of other highly qualified applicants is no easy feat. The common advice given by parents, teachers, and college counselors alike is to aim for an excellent academic record and a well-rounded extracurricular profile.

But today, that is simply not enough.

You need a spike.

In previous articles, you learned all about the concept of a spike: an exceptional achievement or expertise in a specific area that sets you apart from the rest of the applicant pool.

However, in recent years, the bar for what constitutes an impressive spike has risen even higher. With a record number of students vying for a minuscule number of spots, it's not enough to simply have a spike—you need to have a spike that truly stands out and demonstrates your potential to make a significant impact in your chosen field. In fact, a study by the Harvard Graduate School of Education (2020) revealed that the top 10% of applicants to highly selective colleges had extracurricular accomplishments that were rated as "truly exceptional" by admissions officers.

So, what is the Rule of One Million?

This is where the Rule of One Million comes in. This concept, which has gained traction among college admissions experts and high-achieving students alike, specifies that your spike should have an impact that can be measured in the millions. Whether it's reaching an audience of one million people, generating millions in revenue, or positively affecting the lives of millions of individuals, the key is to demonstrate the massive scale and significance of your accomplishments. For instance, a 2021 report by the New York Times highlighted the story of a high school student who created a mobile music studio app that was downloaded three and a half million times over the course of its development, showcasing the kind of exceptional achievement that makes a real difference in the admissions process (Thompson, 2021).

By applying the Rule of One Million to your spike, you show admissions officers that you're not just another student with mediocre projects or activities but someone with the drive, skills, and vision to make a real difference in the world.

How YOU Can Apply The Rule of One Million

Now that you have a better understanding of what the Rule of One Million entails and how it can be applied in various fields, you may be wondering how you can leverage this concept to supercharge your own spike.

The first step is to, of course, identify your area of passion and expertise. What is the one thing that you love doing more than anything else? What are you naturally talented at and willing to put in the hard work to excel in?

Once you have a clear idea of your spike, it's time to start thinking big. Instead of setting modest, comfortable goals for yourself, really try and challenge yourself to plan out the most ambitious, impactful project possible in your field. How can you use your unique skills and interests to make a difference on a massive scale?

That said, achieving something as significant as impacting one million people or generating millions in revenue is no easy task. It requires careful planning, strategic execution, and a lot of hard work. But by breaking your larger goal down into smaller, more manageable milestones and consistently working towards them, you can gradually build momentum and make steady progress.

For example, let's say your goal is to write a novel that sells one million copies. A study by Publisher's Weekly found that the average book in the United States sells less than 200 copies per year (Publisher's Weekly, 2006), so hitting the one million mark is an incredibly ambitious target. However, by setting smaller goals like writing 1,000 words per day, getting feedback from early readers, and constantly networking with literary agents, you can work your way towards your larger objective step by step.

The Rule of One Million: Exemplified

To better understand how the Rule of One Million can be applied in practice, let's take a look at some impressive real-world examples of students who have successfully leveraged this concept to supercharge their spikes.

For a student building a spike in computer science, creating a simple app or game is a common starting point. However, if they want to truly stand out, they need to aim higher. They should be aiming to develop apps that are downloaded millions of times and generate tens of thousands in revenue. To put this into perspective, a study by Sensor Tower found that the top 1% of mobile apps worldwide accounted for a staggering 93% of total app revenue in 2019 (Sensor Tower, 2020). By achieving such a high level of success in the competitive app market, this student showcases not only their technical skills but also their business acumen and ability to create products with mass appeal.

Another prime example of the rule of one million are students passionate about environmental science and activism. Beyond simply starting a club or winning a local environmental science olympiad, they could organize a massive beach cleanup that unites tens of thousands of people and removes one million pounds of plastic waste from coastlines around the world. Considering that scientists estimate over 8 million metric tons of plastic enter our oceans every year (Jambeck et al., 2015), making a tangible impact on such a large scale demonstrates this student's dedication to sustainability and ability to mobilize a national or even global audience around a critical cause.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the Rule of One Million is about more than just crafting an impressive college application—it's about pushing yourself to make a real, lasting impact on the world. By setting your sights high and striving for achievements that can be measured in the millions, you not only increase your chances of standing out in the Ivy League admissions process but also set yourself up for a lifetime of meaningful work.

So if you're serious about supercharging your spike and achieving your full potential, start thinking big and applying the Rule of One Million to your goals. With hard work, determination, and a little bit of creative thinking, there's no limit to what you can achieve.

As Dhirubhai Ambani, the founder of Reliance Industries and one of India's most successful entrepreneurs, once said: "If you don't build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs" (Ambani, n.d.). So take control of your own destiny, dream big, and start building your spike today.

You've got this!

Best,

Joshua
Founder
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